Updated Post-Completion Review, July 2023
How do I satisfactorily review a mini-campaign of such bonkers genius as Nick Brooke’s Black Spear?
Nick describes his creative process as like an oyster which grows a beautiful pearl around a small grain of detail, and my players, who have now been on the receiving end of Nick’s nacreous narrative, would certainly consider their necks to have been graced amply by the pearl necklace of his creative effusions.
This has it all, and the kitchen sink too. Heroquests, newtling orgies, Argrath, wibbly-wobbly Yelmey Welmey lore, dragons, bad puns, cheesy Gloranthan reworkings of classic rock and pop songs, some very peculiar … couplings and … fertility rituals ...
This is all very high concept, so any GMs should be prepared for the need to boggle the minds of their players. A flair for the dramatic, an embrace of high camp, and a willingness to ham the hell out of some of the encounters. A table that’s OK with just going with the flow, tolerance for your occasionally insane narrative jumps and willingness to embrace the psychedelic absurdity of it all will also greatly help. Nick provides alternatives for groups keener on a more, erm, traditional narrative, but I think it would lose something important if you went for them.
It's wonderful. Bonkers and wonderful. Nacreous.
Buy it
Original Review
I dont know what the author is on, but I'd like some of it. Bonkers in all the best ways. Psychedelic illustrations, weird-ass dreams, references to Bowie, The Smiths and Aristophanes. Black Spear gives some really great Glorantha, but with a touch of the silliness I loved so much in earlier edtions. A must-buy.
(I'm tempted to go on a special Heroquest simply to gain the secrets of a higher star rating to apply.)
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